- Pol III can also refer to HNoMS Pol III, a Norwegian guard vessel from WWII
DNA polymerase III holoenzyme is the primary
enzyme complex involved in
prokaryotic DNA replication. It was discovered by
Thomas Kornberg (son of
Arthur Kornberg) and Malcolm Gefter in 1970. The complex has high processivity (i.e. the number of
nucleotides added per binding event) and, specifically referring to the replication of the
E.coli genome, works in conjunction with four other DNA polymerases (
Pol I,
Pol II,
Pol IV, and
Pol V). Being the primary
holoenzyme involved in replication activity, the DNA Pol III
holoenzyme also has proofreading capabilities that correct replication mistakes by means of
exonuclease activity working 3'→5'. DNA Pol III is a component of the
replisome, which is located at the replication fork.